


Change Up

by jencsi



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:21:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22229338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jencsi/pseuds/jencsi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Change Up

June 2015 

“It’s not fair!” she whined, pouting, stomping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest. A classic tantrum. 

“I know,” he soothed but in reality, he could not possibly know the pain and agony she was enduring in all the things she could not or was not allowed to do just yet since recovering from the coma. 

She had been home from the hospital for one week. One week and three days. And today just happened to be the first game of the season for the rivalry between LVPD and VICE in softball. Naturally, when she saw him suiting up for the game, she started rummaging around for her gloves and shoes and bat. Stopping her, pulling her aside with a gently hold on her shoulders as he informed her sadly that she was not cleared to play contact sports just yet. Thus, the tantrum. 

Most people would judge someone like her for reacting this way to bad news or being told no. Her zestful personality kept him alive. She breathed life into his otherwise dull world. Watching her melt down was not pleasant to watch but it proved that she was still herself despite all the trauma and hurt she experienced. Unfortunately, soothing her was the hard part. 

His hands found her waist which he held gently as he lifted her up to sit on the kitchen counter to get her to his level. 

“Why can’t I play?” she asked desperately, eyes shining with tears that would likely fall soon. 

“You know why sweetness,” Nick soothed her, smoothing her hair then holding her face delicately in his hands “you’re still healing, you can’t risk something else hitting your head.” 

“He ruined everything,” she lashed out, hanging her head in disappointment, letting out a heartbreaking sob. 

“It’s not forever,” Nick reminded her, guiding her into his arms where she face planted hard into his chest “and you can still watch us play and by next season you’ll be ready to play again.” 

“That’s so far away,” she complained, sniffling “I should just stay home, I’ll just be dragging everyone else down and they are all going to stare at me, wondering why I’m not playing, and VICE will be so mean.” 

“We want you there,” Nick encouraged her “and if anyone gives you trouble, they have to answer to me, but you always beat me to it, so I don’t even know why I bother.”

He was teasing her of her capability to pounce on anyone who gave her a hard time before he even got the chance to be her protector. It was an admirable trait they both adored about each other. 

“Fine,” she sighed, giving in at last, lifting her head from where she buried in against his chest “but I still want ice cream after the game.”

“Absolutely,” he promised her with a kiss to her forehead. 

Feeling slightly better, she hopped off the counter to help him pack up his gear and they headed out to the field together. 

Almost everyone was already there waiting for last minute team members to arrive. It panged Finn to see her friends all dressed in their black and white uniforms, warming up behind the fences. She dragged herself over to their dugout to see Nick off.

“Hey guys,” Russell greeted them, tending to the bats leaning against the fence “Jules, Barbara’s up in the stands waiting for you.”

Finn glanced around and spotted her waving to her. As much as her heart ached to be on the dusty field, being with her was comforting and safe. 

“Who did you get to fill my spot for the season?” Finn asked Russell now. 

“Yeager,” Russell confirmed the name of the day shift CSI who often assisted them on cases “he’s strong, has a mean curve, you should have seen him at practice.”

“Yeah,” Finn mumbled, kicking at the dirt with her foot, mind wandering to the game and how badly she wanted to play. 

“Look, you’ll be back here in no time,” Russell said encouragingly to her “it’s a precaution, besides, even if you were cleared to play, you haven’t been practicing in months.”

“That’s not my fault!” Finn protested “I was in a coma!” 

“Relax kiddo,” Russell held up his hands in defeat “I’m teasing, we’re probably going to get murdered out there without you.”

At least he admitted it, Finn couldn’t help but think. She lingered behind the dugout for a few minutes longer before saying a soft goodbye to Nick, kissing him then departing for the stands to sit with Barbara. She was aware of the spectators watching her as she walked and of the VICE team looking at her as she passed their dugout to get to Barbara. The hot dusty air swirling around her gave her a good excuse for tears to run down her cheeks in embarrassment. By now, every lab worker, every cop, every lawyer and judge had heard about her trauma, the city even printed her story in the paper, sighting her recovery as miraculous but the attention was too much. She just wanted to go back to being a good CSI. 

When she reached Barbara, she collapsed onto the metal bench in relief at being close to someone she knew and trusted. 

“Ignore them” Barbara whispered to her as they both caught sight of the VICE team making fun of Hodges as he attempted to tie his shoelace then tripped. 

“It’s really hard,” Finn complained “I should be out there, I can win.”

“It’s not about that dear,” Barbara soothed her “it’s for fun and for charity too.”

She was crazy, Finn couldn’t help but think to herself. Of course, the charity mattered but winning was fun too. Running around, swinging the bat, hitting the ball, the rush of sliding into home base, it was the game that gave her life. 

“Russell thinks we don’t stand a chance,” Finn explained to Barbara now.

“Since when do you listen to anything he says?” Barbara countered her point and Finn could not help but smirk, she was right. 

The game started and Finn sat anxiously in her seat, watching both teams make bad calls, poor swings and striking out when they could have hit the ball. The failure was eating at her. When Nick missed a hit, she knew he never would have before, she got angry, standing up and marching back to their dugout. 

“What the hell guys?” she demanded “are you doing this on purpose just to annoy me?”

“We can’t all be as good as you,” Hodges protested her snark.

“It’s not about that,” Finn explained “it’s logic, you’re scientists, think of it like physics and gravity, look.” 

She ripped off a piece of paper from Russell’s playbook and started scribbling a diagram with a pen she snatched from him. 

“When the ball reaches here, then you swing,” she explained “circling the distance from the pitcher to Homeplate “and watch for the curve, don’t choke up on the bat too much when you see it curve, adjust for that, got it?”

Most everyone nodded except for Hodges who gaped at her and Henry who looked nervous. Nevertheless, they dragged themselves back into line up and the game resumed. 

Finn sashayed back to her seat, feeling better about the game and the team’s chance of winning. Back up in the stands, she watched happily as Morgan, Greg and even Hodges, smacked the ball out of the field every time, scoring home runs and taking the lead. VICE did not stand a chance now; the tables had turned and LVPD claimed victory. 

She jumped up from her seat as the final score was called, cheering loudly, hugging Barbara then racing around to the dugout, jumping close to the fence, digging her fingers through the metal chain links. She jumped up and down cheering loudly as they raced back around the fence. Nick reached her first, embracing her, lifting her up and spinning her around, kicking up dust and sand but no one cared. They were all covered in it. It felt like she really had played the game with just that simple coaching. They high fived, hugged, fist bumped, screamed for their victory. It was the most fun she had since long before the coma. The hot sun on her face, jumping up and down with Morgan, high fiving Hodges extra hard so her hand stung when they let go. Victory looked good on all of them. 

“That was insane!” Finn declared as she bounced back inside the house with Nick having devoured their ice cream at the parlor with the rest of the team. 

“Yeah I didn’t think we’d win,” Nick said, “but you were right about that curve ball.”

“Hell, yeah I was right!” Finn announced, punching the air in over excitement. 

As she danced their victory, a thought occurred her. They were throwing the game so she could help them win and feel something, feel alive for the first time in months. 

“No way,” she laughed, looking at Nick now “you faked that!” You guys were losing on purpose so I could set you up to win so I could feel like, like, part of the team.” 

“What are you talking about?” Nick asked with a smile forming, smug, he knew. She was right. 

“You!” she snapped in disbelief, pushing him hard in the chest but playfully. 

“All right,” Nick confessed “yes, we lost on purpose so you could help us win.”

Finn waltzed over to him wearing a smug grin. She admired the team for doing that, especially after what she had been through. 

She shook her head, curls bouncing, forehead pressed against Nick’s. 

“That was very sweet Stokes,” she teased him, calling him by his last name, the way she used to tease him when they were still dating in secret. 

“A lot of people really love you,” Nick said, “we want you to feel better.” 

“You did a really good job,” Finn said, still keeping her forehead pressed against his as she giggled, delighted by this surprise and their victory. Unable to resist, she gave him Eskimo kisses before punching his arm playfully. 

She walked away, heading upstairs to take a shower. He watched her go, grinning, happy they had pulled off that surprise, knowing how much more she deserved and of the many ways he had yet to spoil her and make her feel loved every single day.


End file.
